


Life Lessons

by Kai517_TeenWriter



Series: The Learning Curve [2]
Category: Tangled (2010), Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Papa!Varian, School, Students, Teacher!Varian, Teaching
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 00:16:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17672804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kai517_TeenWriter/pseuds/Kai517_TeenWriter
Summary: Varian's found his calling teaching at a small school in Corona. But there's still plenty that he has to learn, too...





	Life Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian runs into an old friend and receives some life-changing news from Katherine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am FINALLY getting around to posting this, even though this draft has been on my phone for MONTHS. (Whoops).
> 
> Anyhoo, yeah... Again, major thanks to my friend Tess, for that conversation all those months ago that inspired the idea of "Teacher!Varian" and confirmed "Papa!Varian" even further.
> 
> And you might remember Jack and Connor from "A Family United," the one-shot I posted all the way back in September. Yeah, they're going to play a big part here... Especially Jack.
> 
> (Yes, I am aware that I named Cass's oldest son Jack and Varian's wife Katherine... I AM a big Newsies fan, but this was completely coincidental).

**Lesson Number One:**

**"Sometimes we let life guide us, and other times we take life by the horns. But one thing is for sure: no matter how organized we are, or how well we plan, we can always expect the unexpected."**

* * *

"Hey! Varian!"

Varian turned around to face the speaker. Quite a few people spoke to him whenever he went out into the village-- quite often now, ever since he'd become a teacher at the small school housed by the village of Corona-- especially people whose children he had taught in the past. He was quite surprised, though, when he saw the woman who had addressed him, an old friend of his who he hadn't seen in  _years_ _._

Cassandra had hardly changed since he last saw her. In fact, only a few small details were different. For one, she had a simple silver band on her ring finger: a wedding ring. And nobody could ignore the fact that there were two small children next to her, one holding her left and as the other stood to her right. Nor could they deny the fact that there was clearly a third kid on the way.

Cass had stayed behind after the journey beyond the walls of Corona, and had ended up seeking adventure before settling down in Vardaros after awhile. There, she met-- and, of course, fell in love with-- a man named Adam. They had gotten married and then started having kids soon after.

Varian only knew all of this thanks to the occasional letter sent by Cass to all of her friends and family back in Corona. And, also thanks to her letters, he was able to recognize the children clinging tightly to their mother.

"This must be Jack and Connor," he said, kneeling down to see the children at eye level, "it's a pleasure to finally get to meet you two."

Jack-- the older of the two children-- cast his gaze down at the ground, clinging to Cassandra's leg. Connor, though, looked at Varian with a steady, calculating gaze, one that Varian immediately knew he had inherited from Cass.

"Jack's a bit shy," Cassandra explained, playfully ruffling the young boy's hair, "so he's fairly wary of new people. Boys, this is my old friend Varian."

Jack cast a quick glance up at Varian, but just as quickly looked down again. Varian chuckled a little, standing up again.

"So... What brings you back to Corona?" he asked, "not that I'm complaining..."

Cass shrugged. "Multiple reasons, I guess. Adam and I agreed that it might be a better move to raise the boys in Corona instead of Vardaros-- while it  _has_ changed quite a bit, it's still kind of hard to imagine it being a 'safe environment'"-- she made air quotes here-- "for kids-- so that's one. Plus, we thought it'd be nice to get to see you all again, catch up."

Varian nodded. "Well, I'm glad you're back, Cassie."

She grinned. "I'm glad to be back. Now, enough about me. How about you? I've heard rumors, but I'd like to hear it from you: how have things gone for you since we last saw each other?"

"I started teaching at the school here about three years ago," he began, smiling a little, "and I'm married. You remember Katherine, right?"

Cass nodded. "Katherine... Glassner, right? Parents owned Glassner's Bookshop?"

"That's the one."

"I don't mean to pry... But do you two have any kids?"

Varian shook his head. "As of right now, no. It's just me and Kathy. And I'm fine with that... For the time being, at least."

"Who do you teach?" piped up a quiet, unfamiliar voice, "how old are your... Your..."

Cassandra looked down at Jack, who was stuttering over the words. She smiled a little.

"Students?"

He nodded. "How old are your... 'Tudents?"

Varian grinned, kneeling down again to see the little boy face-to-face. Jack had dark brown eyes-- Adam's, Varian assumed-- but the rest of his looks definitely came from his mother.

"Most of my students are five. Some of them are six-- well, most of them  _are_ six by the end of the school year..."

Connor's eyes widened as he pointed at his older brother. "He five! Jack five!"

"Oh?" Varian asked, raising an eyebrow, "is that so?"

Cassandra nodded when it became obvious that Jack was done talking. "Yeah... Jack's five. Connor's two and a half. And, as Adam likes to say, this little one--" she motioned to her stomach-- "is negative four months."

Varian chuckled. "That's a good sense of humor he's got."

"Varian!"

Everyone jumped slightly, a little startled at the sudden voice. Varian was the first to calm down, knowing immediately who it was. They  _were_ right next to the small cottage that he and Katherine lived in, after all, the one right next to the tiny school.

"That'd be the missus," he said quickly, by means of explanation, "you know, you should come along. I'm sure she'd enjoy seeing you again, and I  _know_ she'll love the boys..."

"I'm afraid we can't," Cass said softly, "we promised ourselves that we'd surprise my father next. Maybe see Raps and scare the bejeebers out of Eugene."

Varian chuckled again. "They'd love that, I'm certain. Every time you sent us a letter, your dad... He'd have someone else-- Rapunzel or I, usually-- read it out loud for him. He missed you so much..."

Indeed, the Captain of the Guard missed his daughter. She was all the family he had, and when she didn't come back from the journey, leaving Rapunzel with a note saying that she was okay and not to worry about her, he was devastated. And then they started receiving letters from her, and he'd usually have a letter-reading by the parlor fire. He'd invite those closest to Cass-- Rapunzel, Eugene, Varian, and a few of the guards-- and have one of them read about her new adventures. Some of them got to be quite emotional for him-- when Cass first wrote to them about Adam, when she'd gotten married, and when she announced the news of her pregnancies and the boys' births-- that he had to leave the room, trying his hardest not to cry.

Cassandra nodded. "I know he's going to be absolutely thrilled to see me again, and to get to meet the boys."

"Hey... Where's Adam, anyways?"

"He's still in Vardaros, tying up all the loose ends. He should be here by the end of the month, though."

"Well, I can't wait to meet him, Cassie," Varian said earnestly, "it's already been a great pleasure seeing you again. And, of course, getting to meet the boys."

"And it was nice to get to see you again, Varian."

Connor nodded and Jack kept his gaze down on the ground. Varian chuckled, reaching to hug his old friend before giving each of the boys a high-five.

"I'll see you guys around, then."

"Yeah... See you around."

* * *

"Who was that?" Katherine asked Varian, "out there with the little boys? Was that Cassandra?"

Varian nodded. "Yeah. She's back from Vardaros. Her husband's still out there until the end of the month, but she's here with Jack and Connor."

"Well, her dad's going to be excited."

Varian laughed. "That's what I said!"

Katherine smiled a little bit. "Now... Jack. That's the older one, right?"

"Yeah. If Cass ends up putting him in school this year, he'll be one of my students!"

Katherine nodded. She adored her husband's enthusiasm, especially over friends and family and his job.

"So... Are you excited for next week?" she asked suddenly, "ready for school to start back up?"

He laughed. "Am I ever! I've got that new curriculum that we worked on, and I'm excited to share it with the kids, see what they think of it."

"Varian?"

"Yeah, Kath?"

He studied his wife, taking in her long, blonde hair, her mesmerizing blue eyes, the way her smile seemed to light up the entire room... It had taken him some time to get used to having her in his life, and it had taken even longer for him to realize that he had fallen in love with her, but now, he couldn't imagine his life without her.

"I have something I need to talk to you about," she murmured softly, taking his hands in hers, "and... It's pretty important."

"Well, it must be," he mused, smirking "if there's one thing I know about Katherine Evelyn Glassner, it's that she  _never_ uses the word 'need' unless it's about something important."

Katherine shook her head. "Please, don't joke around. Not right now."

Varian immediately sobered up. "Kathy? What's wrong? Is everything okay? Are you sick?"

He pulled his hand from her grasp and began to touch her face, feeling for signs of fever. She began to laugh, shaking her head again.

"No, Varian, I'm not sick. Nothing's wrong; I'm perfectly fine right now. And..."

She inhaled deeply. It was the moment of truth; there was no going back.

"And so's the baby."

For Varian, time seemed to stop as his mind began to process what he had just been told. Katherine watched as the wheels in his head began to turn, slowly but surely catching up with the news. She could actually pinpoint the  _exact_   _moment_ that everything hit him in full force.

His hand stopped what it was doing, falling to his side. His eyes went wide and an uncertain smile made its way onto his face.

"So's the baby..." he repeated quietly, allowing the words to linger there for awhile before speaking again, "you-- you're kidding me, Kath."

She shook her head, chuckling a little.

"We're... We're going to have a kid? A kid of our very own?"

Katherine laughed. "Yes, Varian. We're going to have a kid of our very own."

"My gosh... _Katherine_."

"Yeah, Varian?"

He grinned-- that dorky grin that had so captivated Katherine in the first place and only served to further endear Varian to his wife-- and let out a loud, joyous laugh, even as his eyes began to fill with tears. He wrapped his arms tightly around his beautiful, wonderful wife, holding her close to him as he marveled over the beautiful, wonderful news that he had just been told.

Katherine was  _pregnant_. He was going to be a  _father_. It wasn't just a student for him to teach and watch over every school day, but, instead, a child of his own, a son or daughter for him to guide, to love and protect every day of the year for... However many years.

And the thought thrilled him beyond belief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During the final part with Varian and Katherine is when my previous one-shot, "A Family United," takes place.
> 
> Also, yeah... This is quite a bit of a change, going from almost strictly writing Co-Ladies-In-Waiting to writing the two of them simply as friends...
> 
> AND I accidentally referenced "The Last Five Years." Yay.
> 
> *There may be a slight delay in getting the next few chapters up. I have a lot on my plate at the moment, and I'm currently obsessed with writing for "The Invisible Library" series, so... My deepest apologies beforehand.*


End file.
